Days after leaving Tottenham, Tim Sherwood is speaking out against his former club, courtesy of Sky Sports' Staff:

I wouldn't do it if I knew it was a five-month job. I was happy where I was, I love the development phase of football, which I think is very poor in England because there's not enough kids getting opportunities. But the club was in a difficult position and it is a club close to our hearts. We always knew if you go into the firing line as a manager your head is going to be on the block and it might be a short tenure. In the end it proved that but I didn't anticipate it would be as short as it actually was. If I had 18 months there I would definitely have taken that club forward.

Sherwood also spoke about Tottenham's decision to sell Gareth Bale during the 2013 Summer transfer window:

Gareth Bale has shown what he can do. Last night he scored his 20th goal in La Liga in his first season. He's missed a lot of games due to injury as well. He's top drawer. He's a game changer, not just a good player. We've had fantastic players in Luka Modric, who is a good linker but Bale changes games. It makes managers sleep easy with Bale in your team. He's a freak of nature. You have to resist selling players of that quality because they don't come around. Tottenham could have kept him but you'd have to pay him way and above what anyone would ever be earning at the club. But is he worth it? I think the Tottenham fans would say yes and I'd certainly say yes. I'd have loved to have a season with Gareth Bale.

Original Text

Tim Sherwood has left his duties as Tottenham manager after less than one full season at the helm.

Tottenham passed along the decision on their official website, stating: "The Club can announce that Tim Sherwood has left his coaching position at the Club."

Tottenham followed with a statement from chairman Daniel Levy:

We appointed Tim mid-season as someone who knew both the players and the Club.

We agreed an 18-month contract with a break clause at the end of the season and we have now exercised that option.

Since appointing Tim as Assistant First Team Coach in 2008 and then as Technical Co-ordinator in 2010 and Head of Football Development in 2012, we have been supportive of him during football management changes throughout that period. On behalf of the Club, I should like to state our thanks for all his efforts during his years with us. We wish him great success in his managerial career.

Moving forward, now the season is over, we shall embark on the process of finding a new Head Coach. We have a talented squad and exciting young players coming through. We need to build on this season, develop our potential and inspire the kind of performances that we associate with our great Club.

Sherwood took over from Andre Villas-Boas back in December after lacklustre performances in the Premier League to open the new campaign. He was unable to fully complete a quick turnaround to get the club back into the Champions League for next season despite improved results.

Speculation about his future started to heat up as the season wore on and Tottenham failed to produce consistently strong results. The off-season overhaul, which saw the exit of Gareth Bale along with several big-money signings, didn't lead to the outcome the club was seeking.

In April, as the rumours about a potential sacking began to reach a fever pitch, James Riach of The Guardian passed along comments from Sherwood. The manager said he didn't concern himself with all the talk and that discussions were already being held about potential summer moves:

We had a chat about next season, there are players I've identified and we've talked about pre-season. Nothing has changed. It [the speculation] doesn't affect me. I've got an opportunity to manage this club and I owe it to the players and fans to do the job professionally.

Around the same time, however, Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail reported Tottenham had offered Sherwood an opportunity to stay on as the No. 2 and he wasn't interested:

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy still believes Sherwood has management potential and wants him to remain at White Hart Lane to work with a senior figure.

But Sherwood has no intention of doing so and will walk away at the end of the season.

Apparently nothing changed over the final month. Tottenham have decided to move in a new direction as they look toward what will probably be another busy summer as the effort to reshape the squad continues in earnest.

What do you think of Tottenham letting Sherwood go?

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What do you think of Tottenham letting Sherwood go?

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Wrong Move

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Total votes: 2,404

It's certainly fair to wonder whether Sherwood got a fair shake. He arrived under difficult circumstances a couple months into the season and did a solid job of providing stability. It certainly wouldn't have been out of the ordinary to give him a full campaign to see how the club performed.

Spurs obviously decided they had seen enough and opted to let him go instead.

The question now becomes: Who will fill the void? The Tottenham job is coveted since the club has the resources and talent base necessary to have success with some more tweaks. Whether the quick hook on Sherwood causes some potential candidates to shy away is unclear.

As for Sherwood, he should be able to find work with another club. He still has a bright managerial career ahead of him at age 45. There were positive signs of his influence during his brief stint with Spurs, but seemingly not enough for the club to give him another season.

Perhaps going their separate ways will work out the best for everybody involved.